The Assault
by Rainbows R Bright
Summary: She could smell the peppermint on his breath and the expensive cologne that drenched his suit. Behind him was none other than the Italian Blaise Zabini. Why would two men who had the entire world want the file in her office? Join Hermione as she tries to solve the mystery that is Malfloy-Zabini Industries. Dramione and some Hermione/Blaise
1. Chapter 1

Assault.

Hermione Granger was sitting at her desk quietly tapping a pen against the edge of the mahogany. Her hair was polished into a pristine bun that was swept off her neck and up on top of her head. The blazer and skirt she had gotten had been ironed perfectly that morning. It was a typical morning from her. She talked to Ron and Harry as they waited in the long line to clock in to work, and then parted ways with them on the elevator where she got off at the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and they headed downward with the other Aurors.

She had only been at work about an hour when she began to hear the commotion from outside her office. Being the head of the department, she was swamped with paper work already and assumed it was just another mixed up charm from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. Trying to focus on the case at hand she warmed her coffee with her wand as she read, but the commotion was only getting louder.

**"On September seventeenth, at midnight there was a scream heard from the house in question. When Magical Law Enforcement finally arrived to find a distraught neighbor standing outside, they were finally able to enter the home after deactivating several wards. They found a hippogriff in the front hall of the mansion. It's throat had been severely cut, but sustained no other injuries. There was no one in the home."** Hermione began to pace the office as she chewed her lip and read the case again and again trying to see if she missed any important clues the first time.

She was desperately trying to keep her sanity as she paced back and forth with her file in one hand and her coffee in the other. Finally, when she couldn't take it anymore, she opened her office door to see her department in a mixture of chaos. Scrunching her brow she examined the scene before her in the way that the bookworm always did.

Apparantly, someone thought it would be more than humorous to cast a charm over her department that had it snowing itching powder. Pursing her lips she cast a quick spell to stop it and looked around at her employees. A few quickly sat back down to work when they saw her while others looked embarrassed.

"Honestly. You call yourselves ministry employees and you can't figure out how to uncharm the ceiling. Get back to work." With that the twenty two year old turned on her heel and slammed the door. The employees quickly turned back to their work and Hermione turned back to her troubling case. However, not without first writing a memo and sending it to the heads of each department.

"_Whoever thought it was funny to charm my departments ceiling this morning. I assure you it wasn't as cute of a joke as you thought it was going to be. Please refrain from distracting my employees, as they aren't always the brightest. Thank you and have a nice day. – Hermione Granger Head of Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." _

A few memos buzzed above her head when she opened the door to finally head home for the day, but she ignored them and shoved them in her office until tomorrow. They could wait, for now, she just wanted to go home.

It was past closing, and everyone else had already left. Stifling a yawn she apparated to the road that would take her to her flat. She took in the crisp air as she walked and walked slightly faster when she finally reached her door. Pulling out her keys she felt a body behind her and didn't even have the chance to scream when she was pulled back from her door.

"Where's the file Granger?" She was too in shock to register what was happening as a person jerked her to them and held her too roughly.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She stammered as she tried to get her bearings. The person in front of her was a familiar and extremely hated old schoolmate. "Draco Malfloy. Let me go!" She fought against her restraints and pleaded with the blonde who only shook his head.

"I need that file Granger. The one about the hippogriff. Nothing against you." She shook her head lightly. She had left it at her office. She rarely brought her work home. You could call it her desperate attempt not to be a prude, but it would seem that that decision wasn't helping her this night.

"I don't have it!" She cried out as the person holding her gripped her arm tighter.

"Where is it Granger?"

"In my office." The look on Draco Malfloy's face was unsympathetic as he stepped toward her and smirked. She could smell the peppermint on his breath and the expensive cologne that drenched his suit. Behind him was none other than the Italian Blaise Zabini. Why would two men who had the entire world in money, women, and owned shares in all the major businesses around London want anything to do with getting that file? Unless it was something that would make them look bad… "It's in my office. Look, I'll get it for you." She offered in a desperate attempt to get out of the grip of the sweaty guy holding her.

"Hmm… How do we know you won't be lying?" The darker haired man stepped toward her with an evil glint in those indigo eyes that she wasn't quite sure he had when he was at Hogwarts.

"I promise! Please!" She honestly never thought she would see the day that she was begging Draco Malfloy for anything, nonetheless her life.

She heaved a breath of relief when Draco studied her and the two business partners looked between each other. Finally, the body guard let her go and she straightened herself contemplating as the two partners whispered hushed words in Italian. Taking their moment of indecision she quickly muttered a wandless spell and cast them in darkness.

She stumbled in the thick fog but finally felt like she was far enough away from them that she could apparate safely. With a pop, Hermione landed in Ron's front yard, and wondered when Draco Malfloy got so stupid.

Stumbling up the front steps she banged on the door of the Burrow and practically ran over the twins when they opened the door. "Let me in!" She heaved as she pushed them out of the way. "Ronald! Ron!" She yelled as she walked through the house.

"God Hermione…"

"You're going to wake the whole house!" She ignored the twins as she took the stairs two at a time. Bursting through the door to Ron's room, she ignored the way that he grumbled at her in his sleep and checked the time as she slammed it behind her.

"Ronald, this is no time for sleep. I was outright assaulted tonight!" Hermione's hair was practically standing up from the electricity that was pouring through her as she paced the room. Her eyes were frantic and calculating as she tried to figure out how to word it all. "Draco Malfloy and his little partner Blaise Zabini _attacked_ me on my way home from work today. All over some file about a hippogriff! What do you think that means? Could that mean that it is something they are trying to hide? Who just attacks someone who has nothing to do with the problem?" Her voice was rising by decibles the more she spoke and Ron was staring at her trying to figure out what was going on, but the hazy look in his eyes told her that he didn't really care. "Honestly Ronald, close your mouth you're drooling, and help me figure out a plan! They likely could be waiting at my flat!"

"Hermione… Don't you think you're overreacting a bit… Can't we deal with this in the morning?" Hermione pursed her lips as Ron turned away from her and pulled the covers up, but the older witch was having none of it. Ripping the blankets off him she stood over him in that stance that she got when she meant business. Her hands were on her hips and her eyes were narrowed dangerously. Ron glanced up at her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and finally removing himself from the bed. "Fine! Let's go to Harry's…" She smiled in achievement and straightened her posture as she left him to get dressed and headed toward the fireplace.

"Sorry Mate… Hermione is completely mental." Ron offered once that had entered Harry's bedroom and successfully woken him and Ginny. The couple was currently looking at them from the bed with weary eyes laced with confusion.

"What the hell guys?" Ginny's voice was the first to echo through the silence followed by what sounded like '_Get the fuck out'_ before she rolled back under the covers and went to sleep. Harry rolled his eyes and climbed out of bed pulling on a robe and leading them to the living room.

"So… what's going on?" He asked hazily as Hermione made them all tea.

"I was attacked! I don't understand why it's so hard for you boys to get it through your obnoxiously thick skulls!"

"Why were you leaving work so late in the first place Hermione?"

"So I wouldn't have to bring my work home! That is beside the point! We need to discuss why Draco Malfloy decided to have me assaulted in the middle of the night just to get a file." She trilled on and on as she made the tea while the two boys sunk into the couch and prepared for a long and sleepless night.

"Maybe… he just wants the file. Couldn't you have just given it to him and been done with it?" She was in complete shock at her two best friends. Shouldn't they be defending her honor and sticking up for her and all that jazz?

"You couldn't muster yourselves to sound a _little_ more concerned, could you?" She muttered as she handed them their warm tea.

"Look, we just don't feel like this is something to get _too_ worked up about. They want a file that will be public knowledge once you're done examining it. Just give it to them." She looked at her two best friends with wide disbelieving eyes, before finally convincing herself that maybe they were right, and releasing them to go back to bed.

She was too scared to go back to her apartment so Harry let her stay on their couch. She couldn't help but stay up another hour trying to figure out if the two Presidents of Malfloy-Zabini Industries had ulterior motives. Something just seemed amiss about the situation. She finally slipped to sleep dreaming about pelting things at the blondes face.


	2. Chapter 2

Wires.

She sat in her office the next day and stared at the file on her desk. She didn't open and didn't feel like she had the heart to open it again. She was scared that this was going to get her attacked again, and she didn't care if the boys laughed at her about it. It was like the paper in the manila folder was going to give her boils all over her body, and who knew with the way Malfloy and Zabini were acting it just might.

"Mr. Malfloy… Mr. Zabini… Ms. Granger really can't be bothered without an appointment." She heard her assistant Tyler stammering outside the door and Hermione's eyes widened. She quickly shoved the folder in her desk and busied herself with other things. "I really don't think that she would appreciate being intruded on…" The doorknob was already turning though and the figures of the two men were standing there with almost identical smirks. "I'm sorry Ms. Granger… I tried…" She held up a hand to silence Tyler and turned to the two men.

"Well… Since you've already interrupted won't you sit down?" She gave them a terse smile and pointed to the chairs in front of her desk.

"My… My… looking all high and mighty today are we Granger? A better sight than how scared you looked last night." The two boys took up what seemed like her entire office and she tried to keep calm as she straightened her back and clasped her hands on her desk.

"It's not exactly good for your business to go around assaulting people Malfloy. Don't you think?" Zabini pushed the door closed behind them as they stepped further into her office.

"It was a nice trick you pulled there last night Granger." Zabini muttered as he walked around her office. The pair was making her uncomfortable as they studied every nook and cranny of her broom closet sized office.

"I try to stay on my toes when I'm around two conniving Slytherins." She stated calmly as she took a drink of her cold coffee. It wasn't tasteful anymore, but it gave her something to focus on aside from the two men in her office. They were stressing her out pacing around her office, and Malfloy was just about to reach out and- " Don't touch that." She vaulted from her chair and reached out to grab the trinket that he was stretching his fingers toward. However, he got to it before she could and proceeded to drop it on the floor with a growl.

"What the fuck?" She rolled her eyes and picked up the silver orb that rolled to her feet across the floor.

"I told you not to touch it. It's a mini pensieve that the ministry makes me use. Only I can touch it or you get a couple of jolts of electricity." She smirked as she placed it back on top of the filing cabinet and turned to sit back down. "Now, if you guys are done rummaging through my personal things, please sit." She straightened her shirt and brushed any flyaways back into her bun.

"You know why we are here Granger." Draco was obviously the impatient one between the two men sitting in front of her. Blaise Zabini was calm as he watched her. There was a look on his face that suggested that he wasn't easily tempered and preferred to deal with things in a manner that was much easier to deal with than his blonde business partner. It was he who she addressed.

"Mr. Zabini, you seem like you are a man of reason. You must understand that I can't release any private files until I have approved them for the public eye. It could take me at least another two weeks for this particular case. You're going to have to wait just like everyone else." He only smirked at her in response and that sent a shiver through her that she tried to hide.

"You see Ms. Granger…" The way he drawled out her name made her feel uncomfortable and the room felt like it was closing in when he leaned forward in his chair to pick up her pen. If she wasn't so entranced by the sly look he was giving her, she would have reached out and plucked her pen back. It was her favorite after all. "Draco and I need that file for some very important reasons. How much?" Her knuckles were white as she gripped the chair and she could see that he had pulled out a receipt book and the suitcase he was carrying was now open in his lap to reveal a large amount of money. Draco's steel eyes were trained on her and she suddenly felt very uncomfortable with this whole situation.

"Just name your price Granger and we'll be on our way." The temperamental blonde was scowling at her indecision as she chewed her lip. This wasn't right. Something was wrong with this whole ordeal. They were willing to pay her any amount to get that file and that just didn't sit right with her. She glanced between the two of them and frowned.

"I think it's time for you two to leave before I call upstairs for security." The two had the audacity to chuckle at her.

"Who do you think let us in?" Zabini was giving her a look of incredulity as she glanced between the two of them. Wetting her lips out of nervousness she sat up a little straighter contemplating the situation. Finally she stood up and pulled her wand from her suit jacket pocket.

"I'm going to have to ask you to go. Don't make me ask again." Her voice was steady as she trained her wand on Malfloy. If anyone were to lunge at her, it would be him. She heard the lock of the briefcase and the scraping of a chair as Blaise stood up to face her. His own wand was drawn.

"I think it's best you put your wand down, hand us the file, and pretend this never happened. Understand?" The calm town in his voice was replaced by a dark drawl that had the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She was desperate to figure out what was going on here. This was a situation that shouldn't be happening at all. The gears in her head were turning as she kept her wand on the blonde who sat there like he didn't have a care in the world. It was certainly making her blood pressure rise.

"I think you've underestimated me Mr. Zabini. You aren't getting that file until everyone else can. _Understand?_" She raised an eyebrow at him in warning and her wand hand was beginning to shake, but she wasn't going to let them see it. She could see the indecision in their eyes as they looked between each other and Draco yelled something at Blaise in Italian that she couldn't understand, but she was positive it was about her.

"Fine, Granger." Malfloy hissed as he stood up quickly and snatched the receipt book off the desk. "You're going to regret this. You better run to Potter for protection, because we are getting that file." His face was pulled into a tight scowl as he flung the door open and headed back into the ministry. He almost looked handsome with his cape billowing behind him as he stormed off. _Almost._

"Cioa Ms. Granger. We'll be back." The tall Italian was slightly more distant about his anger as he walked out and slammed the door behind him. She didn't realize that she had still been holding her wand out in defense. Taking a shaky breath she ran her hand across her slick hair brushing back the frizzies before collapsing into her chair. She waited a few minutes to make sure they weren't going to come back trying to lower her blood pressure.

She pulled the file from her desk where she had shoved it. She stared at it like it had a disease. She had read the file over and over and there was nothing suspicious about it other than the dead hippogriff. There were no clues left at the scene. It was a mansion of a well-to-do family who had claimed under veritiserum that they had nothing to do with it. So, why would Malfloy and Zabini suddenly show up and try to get involved.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a minute as she contemplated before finally throwing the file in her bag and heading out of her office.

"Ms. Granger!" She could hear her assistant Tyler trailing after her as she stopped at the elevators. She didn't have time to deal with this today.

"Yes Tyler?" The short brown haired boy was staring at her with wide eyes as if she were doing something insane by leaving at noon. Rubbing at her temple as the elevator arrived she waited for him to say something. "Oh, get on with it Tyler. I haven't got all day." She glanced at her watch and put her hands on her hips.

"It's just that you have a meeting in an hour with the minister about the house elf laws." She had forgotten all about that and sighed as she contemplated what to do. This file was a matter of importance at the moment, but so was the meeting with the minister. It had taken her over three months to get in to talk to him about equal rights for house elves. Closing her eyes a minute she passed a hand over her face as she came up with a decision. Finally sighing the words felt heavy on her throat.

"Reschedule it Tyler."

"But- Ma'am…" She silenced his protests with an upraised hand.

"Just reschedule it for the minister's earliest convenience. I have important things to get done." With that, she turned on her heel and climbed on the elevator. She wasn't sure if she was going to regret that decision or not, but she had to figure this out.

"I need to speak to Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley… No, you don't understand obviously. This is a matter of life or death. Look Lady…" Hermione was beginning to lose her temper as she talked to a witch that was sitting behind glass. "You are testing my patience. I showed you my badge and now I need you to retrieve them for me." She was beginning to get testy with the blonde who was sitting there smacking her gum and looking at her like she was crazy.

"I'm sorry Ms. Granger… You aren't allowed to talk to the aurors or enter the auror department. You'll have to wait until work is over at promptly four o'clock." Hermione let out a huff and slammed her hands on the counter preparing to yell a slew of profanities at the woman when she heard her name being called. She turned to see her two best friends standing there with amusement on their faces and she relaxed only marginally.

"Thank goodness you're here! This insufferable woman was not helping me in the slightest." She heard something along the lines of 'bitch' and 'I'm calling security' as Hermione threw a glare over her shoulder and headed toward the two men.

"What are you doing Hermione? You have a meeting… Now." Harry was staring at her in confusion as she began to walk quickly down the hallway beckoning that I follow.

"Well," She started with a bit of exasperation in her tone as she called the elevator again. "I listened to you guys and thought Malfloy and Zabini would leave me alone, but you were wrong… Like I thought you were going to be." She added on to the end as she gestured them on to the elevator.

"Hermione. Slow down and talk to us." Ron pleaded as she hit the button to go to the lobby.

"They showed up in my office this morning. Threatening me and trying to buy me out." She explained in annoyance as the elevator squeaked as they went up. The two men were looking at her as if she had marbles for brains and she was beginning to get more and more annoyed as they looked at her. "Stop staring. You should have listened to me last night."

"First off, are you alright Hermione?" Harry was looking at her with concern and she brushed him off as the elevator dinged and she stepped out to the lobby.

"I'm fine. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself Harry, but it's frustrating when my two best friends won't listen to me." She moved quickly through the crowds of people and to the floo. "The Burrow?"

"Hermione dear? Would you like me to get Arthur to send some of his workers down there for you?" She rolled her eyes at the older witch and stifled a laugh. Arthur's workers were all a bunch of idiots. Hermione loved going down and talking to Arthur, but his workers… Man it was like the group of them had no brain cells.

"That's alright Mrs. Weasley. I'm sure it will be fine." The whole Weasley clan was seated around her trying to figure out what was going on and it was making her a little annoyed. "Does anyone even know what Malfloy-Zabini Industries actually does anyways?" Hermione frowned as she looked to them all for answers.

"From what we've heard around the shop – "

"They are a financial institute that helps wealthy witches and wizards organize their lives."

"They offer job directories for nannies, maids, help etc."

"And they take care of the family's finances."

"They're like accountants or something."

"No one is actually really sure." Hermione watched the two twins as they ping ponged back and forth and frowned. This was of no help to her.

"Why would they want a file that has nothing to do with them then?" She begged with Harry and Ron to help her come up with an answer, but the two were just as clueless as her after she let them read the file.

"It doesn't make sense Hermione, we agree." Ron started as he read the page of investigations again. "I mean, they help people with budgeting and finding help for around the house…" She chewed on the inside of her cheek as the conversation continued around her.

"What if it's one of their employees?" She started as she gripped the paper.

"This was a well off family. They had no idea what was going on… What if their maid or their babysitter did this?" She felt like she was on to something as she looked around the room begging for them to understand.

"That would be the most logical reason… But that doesn't explain where the hippogriff came from… It's not the families. Why would a maid or a nanny bring a hippogriff in the house just to prove a point." Hermione slumped back in her chair at George's words and frowned. She tapped her fingers on the table and tried to make the story fit in her head.

"I guess your right…" She hummed but this was going to keep her up at night. The puzzle pieces just didn't fit.

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and following guys! I hope that you are enjoying it! I'm enjoying writing it! I'm just going to get back to writing now. Enjoy Chapter Two!


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